jakej

Hi Mark

Understand all that but FAI has really nothing to do with the Radio communication spectrum or regulation of same, here is the quote from their website front page"FAI is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records." Their Technical Commissions on Airspace and Navigation Systems have nothing to do with communications - just wanted to set the record straight

Maybe you meant to say ICAO ?

I know who ITU (band 8) is but what does FAI http://www.fai.org/ have to do with aviation communications ? FYI there is talk of digital radio but, for aviation, that would mean everyone changing radios so probably won't happen anytime soon.

Jake

Mark

Hi Andy

Some makers do use better technology but that comes at a price (get what you pay for) so isn't available in sub $1200 radios. Problems with radios can be more basic than the radio itself -more to the point is wiring and installation issues, it's like the foundations on a building, good design etc means no cracks. Take audio shielding for example, the best audio engineers, PS Engineering, (IMO) and others more qualified than most of us say you should not use the shield (braid) as a ground return to reduce 'ground loops' - guess what, Xcom & Microair wiring looms do that, no wonder some people have audio issues.

Then there is the practice of using RG58 coax antenna cable, it has/does worked for many for a long time but low loss cable eg RG400 is much better (I won't use any other) as it has a more dense and double layer of shielding. The benfits are more evident on composite airframes. The crimp type coax connectors are much better too - I through away any screw type I get supplied with a radio, just not worth using due to the potential for problems later.

Modern avionics are more sensitive, particularly non Tso'd units, to RFI/EMI and therefore need the advantages of quality cabling etc. It's interesting to note that manufacturers of new Part 23 aircraft are not allowed by the FAA to use RG58 anymore.

Many other audio/radio problems are caused by poor grounding/bonding of antenna and earths - In my experience most of the problems with radios/audio are as a result of some or all of the above, most radios will work properly out of the box.

Jake

Now I have lots of time to follow up on all your suggestions via the various manufacturers websites etc. Cheers[/quoteReading is one thing, understanding is another - those guys are just trying to sell you their products so therefore are biased.

Hi Jake, reading the above and your enthusiasm regarding the Morgan Sierra, could I read into your threads that you may possibly consider selling your beautiful sleek high performance mean machine and investing in a Sierra?

Thanks Kevin.

I agree with having the wing tank option especially if you're going on longer distance or to sparsley populated area trips - I find it comforting to know that I can have up to 8 hrs fuel (240L) on board for the times when weather or refuelling, cost and/or availability, is an issue. Those are things I don't have to worry about so I can better concentrate on aviating.

Congrats on the purchase, let us know when you start flying your Sierra as I'm sure others would want to know more.

Jake J

Hi Garry

Just have to say what an excellent handling aircraft I think the Morgan is, many thanks for the trial 'test' flight. I'm also impressed with the adjustable pedals ( not the norm for RA or Homebuilt) and 'toe' brakes which are much more intuiative, and useful in crosswind takeoffs/landings, for those of us that learnt to fly in GA planes.

The lower CHT's you have acheived on the Jabby engine is a great to see after hearing the issues some other planes have.

Having a closer look at the Sierra while at your factory I was amazed to see the apparent strength of construcion of the fuselage etc and yet it is still is light enough for the category.

Thanks again for your hospitality and I look forward to being up there again.

hey i am currently fitting a 2 axis autopilot into a sierra cant think of the brand name off the top of my head but is is seeming surprisingly simple just 2 servos wired to a 3" instrument and a small dial

I install avionics for a living so offer my opinion based on experience, yours my vary........

Basically you get what you pay for - and good audio/intercom isn't available in 'cheaper' 2 1/4" radios unless you have a good independent intercom eg PS Engineering (considered, by many, to be the best audio people around) or the Sigtronics. BTW ps-engineering.com have some 'auto squelch' models which means you don't have the ability to adjust the squelch, it happens automatically & adjusts each mic to suit whatever different headsets you have.

Xcom, in the past, (as from my experience) had 'issues' which were mostly unjustifiably blamed on wiring etc, this may have changed somewhat now that Narco (I believe) are involved in the manufacture of those units.

Microair seem to be ok ( I used to throw away the Intercom board on the older models) providing you use a separate Intercom unit, preferably NOT a cheap one.

Icom - they make good radios particularly the A200 but the design of the A210 is a shocker !! and it is not a true monitor of the standby frequency it scans it instead. There is no other ,generally used, radio that in order to fit it you have to remove the front panel first to install into the rack & reverse the procedure to remove it. The front panel is connected to the body by a semi rigid 10mm x .5mm (approx) ribbon, Again IMO this has given some Icom owners a headache with having warranty repairs done due to issues with the ribbon cable - also I think the dual watch feature is a poor attempt to mimic the the Garmin SL40 (aka Apollo SL40) you have to 're engage' the dual watch each time someone talks on the active frequency or your pax speaks into their mic.

Garmin SL40 - These units are so reliable and troublefree & have 2 years warranty. They really do monitor the standby frequency without any further, after activation, pilot input. The SL40 has only ever had one Service Bulletin issued in it's long history, the same can't be said of others.

Some owners tend to blame the equipment however if the wiring, antenna cabling, shielding, grounding & bonding is up to scratch then there should not be any problems other than poor electrical design/ layout. Some prefabricated wiring harnesses can introduce problems too especially when they use the braided shield as an earth return - to be discussed another day :-)

Hi 'kiwi' Mike

Great to hear from you, its been a while.

Jake J

Hi Alley, & all

Have joined up recently & see sme friends here already - that's great. Like amphibone I also have a Glasair but first I had built & flown a CGS Hawk (a single seater) in the early 80's - that was scary with the only lesson beforehand was a briefing then had to fly it. A few years ago I got an RA Licence in a Sportstar, much easier then after having flown many hours in an experimental aircraft.

I hope to catch up with some of you, at flyins etc, in the future.

Cheers,

Jake J

Gidday BB

Jake J